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Nov. 19,1999


Let get in to the Demo test thang (hack, cough)

It's been a while since Id has done anything to impress me. But at this point they have reached the very Zenith of mediocrity. It's really hard to think of a word the describes the demo test better. While it does have some real weak points the over all feeling one gets playing it is this is OK. Seem to be a lot of OK going around. In the past I would have expected more of the mighty Id but it seems the writing is on the wall. The glory days are over. They are creatively bankrupt and they are not very worried about it because they don't have a lot of respect for their fan base. They are pretty sure they will endure any indignity and be more then happy to pay for it. But I digress. What about the Demo test (hack, cough).

First thing is first

The new ID logo animation at the start of the test is really the high point. I suggest to get maximum enjoyment from the demo you play the logo animation over a few dozen times. It seem all the 2-D graphics on the set up screen are really blurry. The intro screen looks like a cheesy arcade screen. I don't know if that is the look they were going for but if it was they nailed it. Frankly I find it kind of annoying.

To set up the single player game.... well, that is kind of confusing. Seem things that caused things to happen one time don't work the same way twice. I don't think I'm stupid. I just can't figure out how to make things happen with the interface. After a while I can get pretty much what I want. But if I had to do the same set up twice I would be stumped. I don't have this problem with the UT demo. While trying to set things up I ended up in a game with out my controls configured. So I thought I would just hit esc and set them up and come back to the game. It did not work that way. The fact I'm still not sure what is going on indicates how slack Id is being with the details. Maybe if I had been playing the test all the way until now I would have a handle on things. But this is just me trying to give Id the benefit of doubt. So far I'm not impressed.

First match.... I was trying to do something else at the time but ended up with the Major in Q3dm1

I'm pretty sure there are maps worst the Q3dm1 but I have not played on them. The map is basically two room and a hallway. I camped on the rocket launcher and won the first match with out a single death. This gave me a perfect game. It was not hard and not really a matter of skill. I just kept the rocket launcher away from the bot and I was good to go. Did I mention the map has many curved surfaces? Well it does. That is it's nod to cutting edge technology.

Next match. bots bots and lag

No, I'm not online. The one thing Q3ATD dose really bad is handle resources. With four bot on the map it was chop city big time. And while I managed to configure a bunch of different bots they all look pretty much the same. I'm told they have different skins, But I don't know. All I can tell you is the bots don't look all that different. And playing with more then one bot on the screen at a time really caused a massive hit to the performance. The bots come in two flavors really, big bulky guy and skinny female. outside of that, there is not much of a difference. I feel I should point out that after playing UT and Rogue Spear the bots seem to have a very comical upright stance. They just look weird to me.

I also feel I should mention once again Id has made using the console a violation of the end user license agreement. So a lot of my gripes about the game poor handling may be due to the fact I can't set the mouse up to my regular hyper sensitivity. I wish they would knock off that crap.

The bottom line

I'm not blown away. And if history shows anything it's that fun wins out with this reporter. I was more then ready to give Unreal tournament a reaming. But after a few moments of play I was having way too much fun. Such was not the case with the Quake 3 arena demo test (hack, cough). I find the whole experience going from OK to this kind of sucks.

Let's compare and contrast

In Q3ADT
the interface is kind of weird. It runs kind of laggy with more then one bot on the screen.

In UT demo
The interface is very slick. I run it with at least 7 bots per match and have run up to 16 at once with no big hit in performance.

In Q3ADT
The console is off limits. Any reconfiguration of the game is a no-no.

In UT demo
The console is fair game. Any thing is up for grabs. Many fresh new mutators come out and keep things interesting.

In Q3ADT
All the old weapons are there. The are just not a good as they use to be.

In UT demo
Many of the weapons in UT where featured in Unreal. But the feel is new and fresh. Seem the folks at Epic understand the devil is in the details. Every weapon feels right and is deadly. My third highest weapon is the double enforcer.

In Q3ADT
They give you badges when you do something neat.

In UT demo
They give you complete stats for every game you play. How many, who killed you, who you killed, what you used, how long you have played ect.

In Q3ADT
Then now have music to frag by. Not that any of it is memorable

In UT demo
The music flat out rocks. Really adds excitement to the game. I have just sat and let the music to tempest play over and over again.

In Q3 ADT
6 Bots to choose from. they pretty much come in two flavors

In UT demo
One bot model. Lots of skins and faces. Every bot looks different. You can tell Arlick from Mewto. Even at a distance at full game speed.


I could go on for hours listing all the ways UT smokes Q3. But the upshot is Id has got it's butt whooped. They were too content to rest on their Laurels and now they are coming up short. I hear that the full version of Unreal tournament is out now. I would recommend if your looking for the next generation of death match games you pick it up. If this is the best Id can do.... the king is dead, long live the king.


Next topic... The Wheel of time demo

This is a game I have been hearing about for a while. The hype made it sound like some wonderful new hybrid of a game that added adventure, strategy, role playing to a first person game. Well once again the hype is a lie. This is a first person shooter with out guns. You find relics that give you magic powers (think weapons) and you walk around a labyrinth killing monsters. While this game offers nothing new in the game play area. It's very nice looking.

I did walk across the bridge to the multiplayer side. But no servers were answering. So I can't tell you how that works. Or if it works at all.

If you wondering if you want to download this I can recommend it unless you like really creepy looking gothic levels. The game play is nothing new and as far as FPS goes. It's not even very good at that level.

The Goon Squad looks at Quake 3 Arena Demo test


Lieutenant Stogie's Debriefing Upon Completion of Mission: Quake 3 Arena Demo Test

All right Frag heads, listen up 'cause the Goon Squad is here to shoot up another demo, and the Lieutenant's here to give you the low down dirt on the extremely long named pet project of id. Now, this is quickly evolving into one of the most arguable subjects in Fraggin' history. On one side, the droves o' pukes claiming it's the best Quake in history. On the other side, the grunts whom claim it's the flimsiest piece of so-and-so since Dr. Chaos (do you remember Dr. Chaos? Yeah, no one else does either).
First off, let's talk about the concept and hype. Id is pushing this game with an advertisement campaign based around a public rest room? Face it people, every Q3 commercial in print has had to do with a toilet. Now, perhaps I'm the only person to notice, but generally associating your product with shit being flushed down the crapper isn't the most effective advertisement. Also, the shit scrawled on the walls is usually the typical Quake-spew that one here's from those who's testosterone levels triple their brain cell count. Once again, does one want to advertise the utter stupidity of the Quake community? Also, am I the onlyone who believes that these people are trying to ship out an engine without wrapping a decent game around it? Death matching is quite possibly one of the easiest thing to program in the world. I mean, there are hundreds of player produced maps out there, how hard could it be. Lastly, it seems to this Bonehead that id is hiding behind their "Test" label , so that if anyone bitches they can simply say "It's only a test, we're still working on the damned game!"
Now, from the above deluge of what seems to be anger and anti-Quake in the extreme, one would assume that I'm an anti-Quake activist. This is not precisely the case, but I do see problems with the concepts at work here. However, the game delivers what it sets out to. When you get down to the basics, Q3ADT is a fine bout of death matching fun. The 'bots gave me one hell of a run for my money (the Sergeant and I battled it out one on one for fifteen minutes with shotguns, it was like a damned game of Whakka Mole with all those damned multi-leveled platforms), the weapons are all tried and true, and the level design is intuitive, and I honestly remember every smart-ass comment the bots made.
The improvements are small, but appreciable. The badges are an ingenious way to showcase one's fraggin' prowess. The 'bots all talk thier own style of shit which are actually comparable to the mess you're gonna hear online (this might be considered a down though). Each contestant is somewhat unique, though not enough so to really make it a pain.
Unfortunately, these slight improvements do not outstack thier cons. First off, while the game presents a great version of the old school stuff, this sacrifices any kind of new features that may've come to light. You can get the same feel from playing Q2 that you get while playing Q3. In fact, the only real difference is some weapons (nothing a MOD couldn't do) and a facial lift. Also, the new AI seems far too fond of point-blank rocket battles, which only a moron would go for. Also, the Railgun now takes forever to reload, and the new after trail is too wimpy for the greatest of all sniping weapons. Also, it's far too easy to get too damned hard to kill. Armor litters the area, and yet health is scarce. Ammo boxes still look like they were developed by Super Mario, though they now have scratches in the paint (OOOOOooh!). Also, new models are often used where a new skin would've sufficed.
So, in my own personal opinion, if you're looking for something new in the way of a Frag Fest, move on to Unreal Tournament which actually runs better when packed with bots anyway. If you're a die-hard Quake nut who can't get enough of the good old formula, Q3ADT might just be the demo for you. Me, I'll be moving my boney butt back to the Unreal Tourney for a while.

The Roadkill report

Konbanwa, It's me, Road Kill. Number two in the unrelenting mob that plagues Sparrow from the day the computer came back till, well now. I stole the computer long enough to rack up 16 medals in Q3DT. I think that the Demo test is a lot better than the flat out test, It's funner and you can show off your X-treme skillz with these awards/medals they give you for certain things like excellence in weapons handling (killing more than one person at once with... well any weapon but the rail gun.) Superb rail gun handling (rail kabobing at least two suckers... err players.) The outstandingly high amount of frags. (Gimme 5 minutes and I already had the medal for 100 fragolas.) And the most showy of all, the medal of perfection stating you have gone an entire match without death... I got me three of them.
While I'm here I might as well express my feelings for Wheel Of Time. * blinks * there you go. Well, it's okay, I mean some things are neat, I really like the fact that those demon thing's eyes glow in the dark, that is just outstandingly cool. (Sorry, I'm trying to use the word "outstandingly" a lot, It's my word for the day ^_^) The looks isn't all that new... it's pretty cool walking around those ruins, but I got enough of that with a little guy in a cloak named Garret. the weapons aren't all that hot... The invisible stalkers are cool though... that's probably the most outstanding quality in WOT. (there's that word again)
Nothing like fragging, watching "Happy Gilmore" on fox, writing a letter for a somewhat respected web page and going back to fraging.... Life couldn't be better for this living peice of street pizza.

-Sparrowslain-

Nov. 18,1999


I'm back, and Bigger then ever.... no I'm not saying I got fat while my computer was down

I'll tell you good readers, being "unplugged" is not all it's cracked up to be. But a simple power supply failure can do what so many butt nuggets have tired to do. Shut this page down for a week. But now I'm back and cranky as ever. Lots of stuff on my mind and this should be and interesting page.

What I did on my summer vacation

While I could not use my computer, I was not totally with out my digital fix. Example the notice I put up about my computer being down was via my roomie's computer. A simple P166 with 32 ram. It does not run many games. But it dose Run Quake and Quake2. Strangely enough, I have spent a lot of time playing Quake. I had forgotten how much fun it was. Kind of nice to go back but after a week of it I'm ready to play some real games again. I also Played a bit more of Starcraft. I tried the Protos mission and found them kind of interesting. But real time strategy is not really my cup of tea. The bottom line is I did not have to miss out on gaming in it's entirety. I kind of wish more games ran on humble computers. But with the push towards higher system requirements being the watch word I don't think it's going to happen. Face it, what is out there that is so much more complex then Quake 2? It's amazing that the requirements have gone up so high with so little advancement. I don't really think things are advancing. More like programmers are getting sloppy. Have you noticed how many games now have a full install of over a gig? seem the more resources there are to use, the more programmers want to exploit them. But frankly I'm not seeing it in the game play. It's more like my hard drive fills up faster.

It's kind of nice to play old game and come to realize things were not so bad back in the good old days. If you have a friend with an older system you might want to pick him/her up a copy of Quake. Might get them hooked on gaming goodness. It even works without a 3-D card. Imagine that.

Wow, Id needs to develop some Cajones

While I have been away I was initially told that Id had released the Quake 3 arena demo. But now I see it's a "test" of the demo. Dose this strike anybody else as stupid? Gee Id, when will the real demo be out? When it's done I'm sure. I am going to test drive this and just to make it fair I'm going to get the Goon squad to check it out too. I'm more then willing to give Id a chance. But I'm still leery they have what it takes any more. As a matter of fact. This is not an essay question, but if you have tried the Q3 demo test and Unreal tournament why don't you send in your comments. Nobody will flame you if your opinions don't jive with mine. At least not here. I understand that opinions are just that. So step up and speak your mind. You know I'll be speaking mine.

By the way I'm still sick of demos that have disclaimers on them. Don't make people invest hours downloading something you know is going to be a buggy mess. Saying that the full game will squash the bugs is no assurance at all.
Gee.... do you think there will be a test retail version?

Spam is evil, GSI is evil, Spam from GSI is SUPER EVIL !!!!!!!!!!!!

You know that old bit where the guy plunging to his death screams out " I HAVE NO REGRETS"? Well I'm sure if I was plunging to my death I would scream out "I WISH I NEVER EVEN LOOKED AT THAT LETTER I GOT FROM GAME SPY INDUSTRIES". Man, I don't know if you remember the long saga, but at one time I was part of what passes for a staff at GSI. I really thought I could make a difference and but the first quality page up at their cookie cutter game mill. I was wrong and being a person that picks my fights. I thought that discretion would be the better part of valor and wrote them a nice letter that said "good luck in your ventures but this is where we part company". For a really long time I would still get spam from them. It took a while, and I had to resort to being outright rude before they would leave me in peace...... or so I thought.

Today I get back on. check my mail and find "The state of the planet" newsletter. Once again I'm back on their Spam list. Sheesh. The torture never stops. Well, it's time to fire off a nice long letter to somebody and explain that "if you guys don't stop this, I'm going to hunt you down and make you die slow".

Also if this is not bad enough. Seem that one of my many admirers has given my e-mail address to a mailing list. One of the more unsavory ones to say the least. Since I really have no desire to see naked Co-eds frolicking I really should not be on these mailing list but it's like killing a hydra. You block one address and you get mail from another. You send unsubscribe notices and have to wonder if they even make a difference. It's a giant pain in the buttox for sure. but as fowl sick and disturbing as this prattle maybe. It's not nearly as nausea inducing as GSI meglomanical rants.

Win a job at Ion storm???

Did anybody notice this blurb on the cover of the latest PC gamer? What kind of game company gives a way jobs as a prize? That is beyond stupid, and just goes to show you how sad Ion storm is. More to the point how sad people are that they would want to work for such a company, even as a prize.


Tomorrow's page

I should be downloading the Q3 demo test tonight. Demo test... the words just seem to weird for words. Expect my take tomorrow. Do send in any comments you might have to Sparrowslain@hotmail.com

-Sparrowslain-

Nov. 10,1999


Christmas 1999.....Ummm

The other day I mentioned the big push to get stuff out the door for Christmas. For those of you paying attention Christmas starts November 24th in computer game world. But... while the great push is starting, what will they be pushing? The big games of this year are already out. All the big hopefuls are not likely to happen for Christmas. Let's take a look at ..................

the games that WON'T be ready by Christmas.

Quake 3 arena

This is by no means and endorsement of the game. But it's big marketing news. It was suppose to be out August 18, 1999 (at one point) but now looks as though it won't be a Christmas turkey. I could sit here and speculate about what the problem might be. But I would just be guessing. It's quite possible Id has come to realize they have a game that is just not very much fun to play. Or it could be the big Unreal tournament wake up call. But regardless. There will be no Q3 in your Christmas stocking.

Dubmkitana..... er,Daikatana

While this game is suppose to be out, I feel it will hit another big snag and Eidos will probably pull the plug on the project. I really don't think this game will see the light of day ever. If this does come out keep in mind it will be as buggy as week old road kill. The only reason this would show up in stores is because Eidos leaned hard on Johnny.

Diablo II

Man this is a really Blizzard game. At this point it's release date is Dec.30th,1999 but that may just be because Blizzard said in the summer of 1999 the only release date they would set was some time in 1999. This is cutting it close. But I honestly don't see it happening. But as for Christmas it's not even a possibility.


Now for ...........

The games that "Might" be out for Christmas

Unreal tournament

Slated for Mid December release. I really don't see what the hold up could be for this game. It seems very solid as a demo. So solid in fact.... If the full game does not come out before 2000 I would say the Demo is probably the Action game of the 1999.

Messiah

Rumored to have a demo coming out the 15th of November with the full release hot on it's heels. Could be a very cool game but once again with out a demo test drive everything is pure speculation.

Oni

Once again a demo and release are due. But this game is at best a wild card. A third person, Anime, shooter, marshal arts game that could rock or suck.

Soldier of Fortune

Raven's latest first person shooter. I'm not stoked about it but I'm sure people that don't get enough raw brutality in their normal lives are waiting with bated breath. This game could also be the last harrah for the aging Quake 2 engine.

Wheel of time

I have heard this game is gone gold somewhere. That is pretty much all I know about it. But once again, much hype. Looking for the Christmas money.


There are more, but I'm just recounting off the top of my head. The best part of 1999 is pretty much on the streets already.

System shock 2.... the game so good it makes other games look stupid.

Rainbow six: Rogue Spear.... the game that owns me.

Omikron: nomad soul.... I have not played it but from what I have seen it looks pretty dang cool

Slave Zero is just about out the door. Frankly looking back at 1999 it's been a pretty thin year. But the good games that came out were really good games. I still recommend System shock 2 as the best game ever. If you know a gamer with out this title make his year and pick this one up for Christmas. Rogue Spear is selling very well and that is quite a surprise to me. I really figured it was a bit too deep to be a mass market success. But it seem I was wrong. I guess people know good when they play it. I'm satisfied with it's success. I could waste time talking about the big disappointment of 1999. But that seem quite unimportant right now. That sold as it should have. Like crap. I'm please with that too.

Another strange thing about 1999.... It was the year I wrote a web page. If nothing else I told you what I liked and what I did not like. I really think this is the web page of 1999. It may not be slick or professional. But it was a work of passion. And passion is a very strange thing to find on the web these days.

Whoa.... This just in !!!!

You know I have been wondering if Id was given a case of the shakes from the tour de force that is Unreal tournament. Well even if they are not, it seems that their publisher is nervous. Check out this blurb from Loonyboys

"while id Software is busy desperatly trying to jam a single player game into Quake3Arena at the last minute. Rumor has it that Unreal Tournament really has them working overtime to include a better single player game than just generic "botmatch" and that Activision is putting a lot of pressure on them to come up with a real "demo" that shows off the single player portion of the game. A demo that would be equal to or better than what Epic Games put out for Unreal Tournament. So, while they may be clamming up over there about the release of a demo, don't be suprised when a really polished looking demo pops up on the 'net in a few weeks."

Then the same source says that the many different player models is going to be the strong suite of Q3. What? how many player models where in Quake 2? well after the point release there were 3. Numbers of models do not make a game. Most of the plug in player models are from a community that Id all but shut down. There are hundreds of models to use but only 3 are official Id models. Do you think people will import models for UT? Hey if it's as big as I think it will be I'm pretty sure they will. Frankly, it will be interesting to see if Id can pony up something worth considering. I don't think they can.

You know when Q3 test came out I was wondering if Death match was just something I just didn't get a kick out of any more. But UT made me a believer again. That is a pretty Impressive feat. But either way..... let the game begin.

-Sparrowslain-

Nov. 9,1999


Let the great Christmas hub bub begin

Man I'm getting about blown out with all the Hype getting blown around. Have you noticed all the publishers pushing to get something out the door as of late? If you want a good indication of the Christmas turkeys are, keep a close look at the titles that ship around the 24th of November. These are the ones that are really pushed out the door. Even game that have been in development for years will pop up bugs and all. I have explained the dynamic of the Christmas season before. It extents the selling season because lots of people pay for the game and keep them in a closet until the 25th of December. So for the first time Publishers get a free ride to push a buggy game with out much word on the street. And there is some kind of belief that only kids play games. And if mommy and daddy don't buy it for Christmas it's not going to happen.

Did I ever mention I'm not a big fan of Christmas. Let's face it once you grow up if you still like Christmas you must be a mutant. It's a big huge pain in the ass and the last thing we need on top of Christmas shopping, Christmas specials on TV (God help me I hate them), and dealing with our relatives..... Is the current crop of bug-o-rama games. And since publishers are rushing products out the door. There is not much hope for quality products.

If Christmas has one thing going for it... it's that it only comes once a year. God I wish I was ten again.


The Upcoming war for servers

I'm pretty sure Id is confidant that Q3 is going to cement their position in online gaming. But when you look at the big numbers. How many server are running the Q3 test at this time? some 200 or so. This is a lot less then the 7,000 servers running Q2. It was a glorious thing in it's hey day. But now most of these servers are dead. Nobody is playing Q2 any more. Lots of games have shown up to take a huge bite out of the pie. Last time I checked Tribes had around 1,400 servers up. But a more telling sign of the times is the fact there are about 700 UT servers up. This could well be a sign of the times. Frankly if Unreal tournament ships first it could signal the end for Id's dominance. And maybe it's a good time. Id is creativity bankrupt. They are pillaging their past like mad fiends. Stepping on mods was also a bad move on their part. I feel a small measure of satisfaction that Id is going to reap what they sow. I really hope the die hard are not enough in numbers to make much of a dent. But frankly I feel the superior Unreal tournament will pretty much win the war for servers. There is a new day coming..... Or one would hope

-Sparrowslain-

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